1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to data processing and more particularly to the selective enablement and disablement of hardware capacity on a computerized apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
The operation of a business is a dynamic undertaking. To increase profit margins, businesses continually seek out means of assessing and controlling costs. For example, one attractive alternative to outright purchases of assets is leasing. Leasing provides flexibility and, in some cases, tax advantages.
However, regardless of whether an asset is purchased or leased, some assets have periods of idleness, or decreased usage. During these periods, the assets are not productive, or not optimally productive, but still have associated costs which the business incurs. A particular asset that suffers from this problem is the computer.
Today's computers are powerful devices having significant capacity for functions such as processing and storage. Unfortunately, the cost of owning and operating computers can be significant for some businesses. In order to be effective, the computerized resources of a business must be sufficient to meet the current needs of the business, as well as projected needs due to growth. In addition, even assuming no growth, the resources must be capable of tolerating the business's inevitable peaks  and valleys of day-to-day operations due to increased loads for seasonal, period end, or special promotions.
As a result, businesses are left in the position of having to invest in more computerized resources than are immediately needed in order to accommodate growth and operational peaks and valleys. In the event the growth exceeds the available computerized resources, the business must upgrade its resources, again allowing for projected growth. Thus, at any given time in its growth cycle, a business will have excess computer capacity allowing for growth as well as the peaks and valleys of short-term operations. This excess capacity translates into real cost for the business.
One solution that gives user's more flexibility is on-demand access to computerized resources. Various forms of on-demand resource access are available from International Business Machines, Inc. For example, one form of on-demand access is provided by International Business Machines, Inc. under the name “On/Off Capacity on Demand” (also referred to herein as On/Off CoD) on its line of eServer computers. Computerized resources are made available on demand in response to actual needs, rather than projected needs. In one aspect, the provision of such flexibility provides a cost efficient solution to accommodate peaks and valleys that occur in any business. Increased loads for seasonal, period end, or special promotions, for example, can be responded to quickly and efficiently. A customer pays for the capacity/resources that it needs, when it is needed. As a result, the cost of computerized resources substantially matches the computerized resources actually being used, and does not include a substantial premium for excess capacity not being used. Of course, in practice, providers may attach some form of a premium to the flexibility provided by on demand resource access. However, even with such a premium, many users will realize a savings.
In one embodiment, users are given access to additional capacity on systems by entering an enablement code provided by a provider, such as IBM, Inc. In one implementation, validation of the enablement code is then performed using enablement  data stored on a smart chip onboard the systems. If the enablement code is validated, the user may then request the use of some quantity of resources (e.g., some number of processors). The user may be charged a fee for the usage (based on, for example, the quantity of resources used and the length of time the resources are used).
One problem with on-demand resource access is that once the on-demand feature has been enabled on a given system, additional capacity may be activated from the system console by any authorized operator, resulting in additional (and potentially significant) usage charges for the owner of the system. As a result the owner may want to disable the on-demand feature to prevent operators from incurring additional charges. In addition, the manufacturer/provider (e.g., IBM) may wish to disable the feature if the owner of the system has failed to pay for past usage. Disablement of the on-demand feature is also necessary when the system is sold, from one owner to another, until the new owner has a contract in place for its use.
Disablement could be accomplished by replacing the smart chip that stores the enablement data. However, the solution has significant drawbacks, including the delays inherent in ordering a replacement part, the expense of the part and installation, and customer inconvenience due to powering the system down for hardware replacement and subsequent re-booting (also referred to as initial program load or IPL).
Another alternative is to allow disablement via a screen option. However, this approach would allow any authorized user to disable the on-demand feature, either accidentally or maliciously, thereby potentially depriving the owner of vital server capacity in a critical time.
Therefore, there is a need for a method and system for disabling an on-demand feature on a computer system. 